City Home – Kue Wala Ghar, Chawri Bazar Delhi Homes by The Delhi Walla - February 11, 20240 Old address. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The sunlight falling on the tall blue walls quivers softly, making the concrete look liquefied. The staircase to the roof is crisscrossing upwards into a series of landings. And the sehen, the courtyard below, is marooned in shantih. This house in Old Delhi’s Chawri Bazar belongs to one of its most eminent families. Around, the market is noisy, crowded and chaotic, but the house feels far from this agitation. Until 50 years ago, any letter reaching this residence wouldn’t mention Chawri Bazar. Houses had no number either. In the old days, the address written on the letter would tend to start with what is nowadays written last. This was the old postal address of
City Hangout – Day-End at Sunday Book Bazar, Mahila Haat Hangouts by The Delhi Walla - February 11, 2024February 11, 20240 Time passing, and final hours. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Endings mark closure to stories, give clarity. Endings tend to be poignant. Such is also the case with the fabled Sunday Book Bazar. The story of Delhi’s weekly market for used books goes back to the 1960s, when it first opened on the outskirts of the Walled City, along the mile-long pave of Daryaganj, extending from Delite Cinema to Dilli Gate to the non-existent Lohe wala Pul foot-over bridge. Some years ago, the bazar permanently ended—in Daryaganj—and was made to move to the sprawling plaza of Mahila Haat nearby, across the road from Delite Cinema, where conditions turned out to be more convenient for both book buyers and booksellers. That aspect has already